Arizona trails · Cow Flat
Cow Flat
A 11.5-mile out-and-back in Arizona, with 2,971 ft of climbing. Reaches Ladron Spring and other lake/spring/summit destinations. Managed by U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 49% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 3.8.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Ladron Spring (spring)
- Government Mesa (summit)
- Auger Tank (lake)
- Cow Flat Spring (spring)
- Campbell Flat Lake (lake)
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:55 a.m., the sun rises at 6:20 a.m. and sets at 5:43 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:09 p.m. (MST) — 11 h 24 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 23.0-mile round trip works out to roughly 11 h 29 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Lanphier + Cow Flat + S Canyon — 12.2 mi loop, 3,150 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Ws Lake — 6.6 mi
- Little Blue — 8.8 mi
- Horse Canyon — 17.8 mi
- Ad Bar — 19.3 mi